Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Permit in Rifle, Colorado

Rifle requires an accessory dwelling unit (adu) permit for: ADUs are explicitly listed as requiring a permit on the City's Residential Information page; Applications submitted online via Cloudpermit; Contact the Building Department (970-665-6461) or Community Development for ADU-specific zoning standards (size, setback, parking, design) — this file could not confirm a published ADU-specific zoning ordinance section during this extraction and does not want to invent size/setback figures not directly sourced. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Rifle Building Department (Community Development Department) at 970-665-6461 before starting work.

In Rifle, the published Building Permit Fee (valuation-based table) is: $23.50 minimum, scaling per the City's Building Permit Fee Worksheet valuation tiers. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Rifle does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Rifle Building Department (Community Development Department) at 970-665-6461 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Residential Remodel Application / Building Permit Application (Cloudpermit). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Rifle requires 2 inspection(s) for an accessory dwelling unit (adu) permit, in order: Foundation Location Certificate, Final Inspection. Schedule each through City of Rifle Building Department (Community Development Department) (970-665-6461).

Apply through City of Rifle Building Department (Community Development Department) at 202 Railroad Avenue, Rifle, CO 81650 (Rifle City Hall, Level 1 - Community Development suite). Phone: 970-665-6461, email: jnihiser@rifleco.org. Office hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm. Permits can be picked up Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm. Building Official John Nihiser, 970-665-6464; Building Inspector Jenna Lucas, 970-665-6494; Community Development Director Zach Higgins, 970-665-6499. Main City switchboard: 970-665-6400.. Official information: https://www.rifleco.org/72/Building.

Rifle, Colorado has adopted: 2015 International Codes (I-Codes), as locally amended — confirmed directly on the City's Building Department page ('The City of Rifle is under the 2015 International Codes'); 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — Energy Zone 5; 2003 ANSI A117.1 (Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities); Full Charter and Municipal Code, Chapter 18 (Building Regulations) hosted at library.municode.com/co/rifle — the live Municode page returned an access-restricted/JS-rendered response during this extraction and could not be independently re-verified for the specific adoption-ordinance number and full local-amendment text beyond what the City's own Building Department page and permit application forms directly state; treat Chapter 18 citation as the governing local code chapter by name only, not as a verbatim-quoted source in this file; Design criteria (Table R301.2(1)-equivalent, per the City's own Building Department page): Roof (snow) live load 40 psf; Ground snow load 47 psf; Basic wind speed 120 mph (Ultimate); Seismic Design Category C; Weathering Severe; Frost line depth 36 inches; Termite Slight/moderate; Decay Slight; Winter design temperature -2°F; Ice shield underlayment Required; Flood Hazard Yes (FIRM effective 10-15-85); Air freezing index 2,500; Mean annual temperature 48°F. Local amendments apply — see the Rifle overview page for the full list.

Yes, a permit is required for ADU construction per the City's Residential Information page. This extraction did not locate Rifle's specific ADU zoning standards (size, setback, parking) — confirm these directly with the Community Development Department (970-665-6499) before designing a unit.